Takoma Park Personal Injury Lawyer

Effectively dealing with the effects of a traumatic accident can be challenging on financial, physical, and emotional levels. On top of serious injuries that may keep you out of work for weeks or even permanently alter your ability to hold a job and take care of yourself, an accident caused by someone else’s negligence may force you to contend with expensive medical bills, loss of personal property and opportunities, and immense psychological anguish over the sudden change in your life’s course.

Fortunately, you could potentially recover compensation for all those damages and more with support from a Takoma Park personal injury lawyer. If you got hurt because another person acted recklessly or carelessly around you, speaking with a seasoned attorney might be the best choice you could make when it comes to protecting your future prospects.

How Long Do Personal Injury Victims Have to File Suit?

A particularly crucial part of personal injury litigation for accident victims to understand is that they do not have unlimited time to take legal action against the person or entity who hurt them. According to Maryland Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings §5-101, most personal injury claims are subject to a filing deadline of three years past the date on which a prospective “plaintiff” first discovered their injuries.

For some types of cases, the filing period runs even faster—claims against government entities, for instance, have an effective filing deadline of one year after an accident occurs. However, there are also some exceptional circumstances under which a court may “toll”—or pause—the statutory filing deadline for a few months or even several years. A Takoma Park personal injury attorney could explain these restrictions in more detail during a confidential meeting.

Proving Someone Else’s Fault for a Personal Injury

Even if someone starts a personal injury claim within the statute of limitations, though, they will generally be unable to recover any compensation if they cannot prove that the “defendant” named in their settlement demand or lawsuit was negligent in some way. Under civil law, a person may be considered “negligent”—and held financially responsible for a plaintiff’s compensable losses—if they owed an implicit or explicit responsibility to act reasonably around the plaintiff, failed to fulfill that obligation, and directly caused an accident through their reckless or careless behavior.

In Maryland, it is also essential for civil plaintiffs to prove that they themselves were not negligent in a way that directly caused, contributed to causing, or unreasonably exacerbated their damages. This is because of the state’s pure contributory negligence system, under which courts can bar plaintiffs from recovering any compensation at all by assigning them any percentage of fault for their damages—even one percent. Guidance from a personal injury lawyer in Takoma Park can make a huge difference both when it comes to proving the defendant’s fault and when it comes to disproving allegations of contributory negligence by a plaintiff.

Seek Help from a Takoma Park Personal Injury Attorney Today

Personal injury law makes for uniquely complex and challenging litigation, no matter how obviously it may seem that another person is to blame for the injury you sustained. To boost your chances of a favorable case result, it may be virtually essential that you secure legal representation from a qualified professional who has helped with similar claims in the past.

A knowledgeable Takoma Park personal injury lawyer could work tirelessly on your behalf to pursue the restitution you deserve. To schedule a consultation, call today.